The US ambassador to Russia meets with a Wall Street Journal reporter as he approaches his 100th day in detention.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne M. Tracy met with detained Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich at Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison on Monday, according to the State Department.

It was the first time since April 17 that a US diplomatic official has been able to meet with Mr Gershkovich, who has been detained for more than 13 weeks on what US officials say is false espionage charges.

Ms Tracy reported that Mr Gershkovich was in “good health” and was “remaining strong, despite his circumstances”. Mr Gershkovich, 31, has been detained since late March in Lefortovo, a maximum-security prison known for harsh conditions for prisoners, including extreme isolation.

The allegations made by the Russian government against Mr. Gershkovich have been vehemently rejected by the United States government and The Journal. The State Department reiterated on Monday that Mr Gershkovich had been “unjustly detained”, meaning the US government considers him the equivalent of a political hostage.

US officials reiterated their call for Russia to immediately release Mr Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, 53, a former US Marine who the US government also says is unjustly detained. He is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted of espionage in 2020.

Mr Gershkovich spent nearly six years in Russia and was first detained on March 29 during a reporting trip to the central Russian city of Yekaterinburg. Thursday would be his 100th day in detention.

If convicted of espionage, for which Russian prosecutors have not provided evidence, Mr Gershkovich could face 20 years in a penal colony.

In June, a Moscow court rejected an appeal by the journalist’s lawyers to end his pre-trial detention, which had been extended until August 30. Ms. Tracy attended that court hearing along with Mr. Gershkovich’s parents, Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich.